Little things. big impact

Dr. Benjamin Prosser

Microscopy at the heart of discovery

Associate Professor of Physiology | Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Innovating at the intersection of cardiac and neural health.

Dr. Benjamin Prosser leads research teams that focus on cardiac mechanobiology to develop new therapies for heart disease. And recently an arm of his lab has been dedicated to genetic therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders of the brain.

About Dr. Posser

Publications
Fellowships awarded to trainees
Raised in research funds

Breakthroughs by Dr. Posser

Microtubule transport

The heart’s little helpers.

Dr. Benjamin Prosser’s work focuses on how changes at a cellular levelaffect the growth and mechanics of the heart. Specifically, his lab studies microtubules in heart muscle cells that provide the working force behind each heartbeat. The heart changes size and shape, due to stress from pregnancy or hypertension for instance. Scientists were unclear on how the heart remodels itself on the cellular level.

Dr. Prosser’s work revealed that microtubules are responsible for transporting materials to areas in need of remodeling. He observed that microtubules intelligently redistribute growth inducing mRNAs and subcellular proteins to sites of growth on demand. These discoveries are instrumental in understanding how the heart adapts to stress.

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From Dr. Prosser's lab

Messenger RNA transport in the heart

Microtubules (black) serve as the tracks by which the ribosomes and mRNAs (yellow) are moved around the heart muscle cell. Optimal positioning of these proteins requires microtubule transport and is essential for growing the heart cell.
Transporting the heart's littlest helpers

Microtubules serve as the tracks by which the protein translation machinery are moved around the heart muscle cell. We’ve found that optimal positioning of mRNAs and ribosomes requires microtubule transport and is essential for growing the heart cell on demand.
Microtubules navigating the heart muscle cell

Microtubules are dynamic. They use the ability to shrink and grow to navigate the tightly packed environment of a heart muscle cell and deliver cargo
to a specific region of the cell.

Peering deep into the heart and brain unveils elegant complexity
and new therapeutic possibilities.

Dr. Benjamin Prosser Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Breakthroughs by Dr. Posser

STXBP1 gene research

A pivot from the heart.

Although Dr. Benjamin Prosser’s lab focuses primarily on cardiacresearch, that changed when his infant daughter was diagnosed with STXBP1 encephalopathy, a rare gene based neuro developmental disorder that causes seizures.

He realized his research experience could help others with genetic epilepsy syndromes. He dedicated part of his lab to neuroscience research and partnered with clinicians and scientists focused on Epilepsy Neurogenetics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Prosser and his team are working with patient neurons to try and increase their expression of STXBP1. The idea is to develop genetic or pharmacological interventions that correct for deficiencies in the STXBP1 gene to facilitate more normal function.

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From Dr. Prosser's lab

A window on brain cells

Neuronal activity in brain cells generated from a patient with a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder.

We're trying to develop next-generation therapies to help this current generation of children.

Dr. Benjamin Prosser Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Breakthroughs by Dr. Prosser

Cardiac cytoskeleton

The heart’s micro mechanics.

Dr. Benjamin Prosser’s work in microtubules is revealing more and more about how the heart beats, grows and repairs itself at the cellular level.

Each heart muscle cell contains a scaffolding made of microtubules and other cytoskeletal filaments that control contraction and relaxation through mechanical signals. But where the role of microtubules was previously unknown, Dr. Prosser’s lab is finding that they serve as mechanical participants in cardiac function.

High resolution images have shown that microtubules can regulate contraction and relaxation, facilitate repairs, and deliver new proteins in response to stress or damage. Dr. Prosser’s research is instrumental in developing new therapies for heart failure.

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From Dr. Prosser's lab

Preserved soft tissues

Visualization of the aspect ratio of the pore space in a tensile specimen.
Cross section of preserved soft tissues

Visualization of the pore size distribution in a tensile specimen.
Additive manufacturing process optimization

Visualization of pore morphology classes for process parameter optimization. Based on the pore morphology visualized via xCT, researchers can tune the laser power and velocity to reduce pores.
The cardiomyocyte cytoskeleton

Intermediate filaments (purple) and microtubules (orange) form critical components of the heart muscle cytoskeleton. Together, they maintain cell structure, transport various organelles and cargo, and alter the cells’ mechanical properties.

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